SINGAPORE – On Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong was in familiar territory – West Coast GRC, where he was once among its MPs – interacting and taking wefies with residents and stallholders for over an hour.
He was at the West Coast Food Centre for a roadshow where seniors were encouraged to pick up digital literacy skills such as making e-payments using their mobile phones. It was organised by DBS/POSB in support of Infocomm Media Development Authority’s Digital for Life movement.
Speaking in Mandarin, Mr Wong asked the crowd – the majority of whom were seniors – who had gathered before a getai stage whether they still remember him during his time as a West Coast GRC MP. They responded with a chorus of “yes”.
Mr Wong, who is also Finance Minister, served as the MP for the Boon Lay ward in that GRC from 2011 to 2015. On Saturday, he was joined by National Development Minister Desmond Lee, who is an MP for West Coast GRC.
Operations manager Cindy Koh, 47, who was at the hawker centre having lunch with her two sons, said she usually sees Transport Minister S. Iswaran, who is her MP, “making his rounds” and was pleasantly surprised to see Mr Wong instead.
Since July 11, Mr Iswaran has been under investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau and has been instructed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to take a leave of absence until the investigations are completed.
“If Mr Wong wants to come back to West Coast GRC, it’ll be very good to have a senior minister in our GRC,” said Ms Koh, who has lived in the West Coast area all her life.
Civil engineer Loh Chih Kang, 53, said he expects ministers and MPs to always walk the ground and engage with residents, even outside of the election period.
“Maybe because I don’t need help, so I don’t see MPs so often, unlike those who seek help more often,” he added. “While I’ve never had direct interaction with Mr Wong when he was an MP here, I find that he is one of the better MPs as he is reasonable and active.”
Mr Goy Thuan Heng, 59, who has been selling soya bean drink in West Coast Food Centre for the last 27 years, said Mr Wong is well-liked among the grassroots members from the time when he was a West Coast GRC MP.
“We’ve known him for a long time so if he wants to come back, we will definitely welcome him back,” said Mr Goy who is secretary of the West Coast 726 Hawkers Association.
Mr Wong is currently an MP for Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC.
